Update:
As I mentioned while answering the questions, my tank is still 100% "The Package" with the exception of the fish which include 2 Ocellaris Clownfish, a Bi-color Blenny, and a Six line wrasse. I have also added a few extra Nassarius Snail due to attrition.
Maintenance:
I do 30% water changes about once every 2 months.
The losses:
* The Goby that Richard included as an extra decided to go carpet surfing.
* The Condi decided to play with my powerhead, but the powerhead didn't want to be friendly.
* The red tree sponge lost to a red algae bloom, and other sponges lost due to direct exposure to lights.
* The small purple gorgonian developed white moldy looking spots soon after I got it, and after reading a post about it from another package owner I tried to trim the spots off with scissors but it never fully recovered.
* The various Caulerpa Algae just wouldn't stop growing and every couple weeks would take over the tank. One day I decided to remove it for a more ascetic look since it would hide everything in the tank and always was difficult to remove without causing rocks to fall. I now sort of regret doing it and wish I would have just been more diligent in trimming it.
* I lost my decorator crab and both peppermint shrimp. They just disappeared. I had a large gorilla crab still in the tank that was decimating my snail population and hermit crabs if they got near and figured he found them as a nice main course
The Successes:
* The brown gorgonian is huge and growing still. I plan to trim it and place half of it in a new tank I am planning.
* The green flower anemone is thriving and has grown about 2 inches in girth and is a nice health shade of green.
* The green ricordia has flourished and when it stretches fully open is about 5-6” across.
* Many cup corals that looks like just left over skeletons on the rocks started to grow and I have about a dozen on various rocks, many the are the size of golf balls when the spread their tentacles.
* Many tube corals are on various rocks, some small some in big colonies. These have gone through cycles where they looked like skeletons one month, and the next month turn a nice reddish brown shade with great polyp extension. They are just starting to recover from their latest cycle, and I wish I could make them more stable, but I have not lost any so far.
* The large Feather duster has done very well. It even had a baby at one point, unfortunately during one of the Caulerpa “mowings” a rock shifted and the baby was crushed.
* The clam/mussel with the colony of tube corals is still alive and well except he came unglued from his base rock about 2 weeks ago.
* The Orange fan sponge is still alive but has not grown, and I still have a yellow ball sponge on the back of another rock with a few other sponges on the bases of some of the rocks. I plan to start feeding plankton to my tank soon hoping to give it more food.
* I still have a thriving population of Blueleg hermits.
* There are still about half a dozen porcelain crabs always filtering with their fans.
* My Mantis shrimp is still alive and well in his own 10g tank.
* There are tons of starfish in the sand and under/in the rocks including the large one from the package.
* Unfortunately I still have about 3-4 small gorilla crabs hiding in the rocks and I think they are the main cause of snail losses.
* Also there is one unknown. I have a loud popping in my tank from time to time since the start of this. I don't think it is another Mantis because I don't think one could hide for over a year. Might be a pistol shrimp, but again I have never seen one, so I am clueless what is causing my mysterious popping.
Thanks for all your comments,
David
Pictures:
Full Tank:
Brown gorgonian:
This is my huge gorgonian. In the upper left you can see my rock/flower anemone. Along the lower edges of rocks you can see various sponges with the orange one to the right. Also in the front left is a mussel with a tube coral colony attached.
Flower anemone and Feather duster:
Here you can see the Flower Anemone top center, and the large Feather duster lower left. Below the feather duster is my bi-color blenny, and six line wrasse.
Ricordia and tube coral:
In the center you can see my green ricordia which is now about 5-6 inches across when it fully spreads out. In the front you see part of my gorgonian and in the back is a tube coral colony.
Cup Coral:
These cup corals are about 1.5 inches across each. Below them you can see some starfish arms hanging from the rock. The left tip of rock has some tube corals, and part of the orange sponge is seen to the lower left. In the upper left background is part of the gorgonian and the ricordia.
